


Come to Me, My Lost Brother

by Innocentfighter



Series: Inquisitor Alessandra Cousland, Hero of Ferelden [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Haven (Dragon Age), M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Protective Siblings, Sibling Love, Templars (Dragon Age), Trevelyan (Dragon Age) has Sibling(s), Trevelyan is not the inquisitor, Warden Inquisitor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 23:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16842499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Innocentfighter/pseuds/Innocentfighter
Summary: “Uh, I,” Cullen coughed, “Leliana’s scouts received reports of a Templar group about a day’s ride away from Haven.”Hazel sat up straighter.





	Come to Me, My Lost Brother

**Author's Note:**

> Little bit more about Hazel and Arthur as siblings. Cullen awkwardness abound.

There was a heaviness in her chest that Hazel had never felt before. Everyone was relieved, the Breach was no longer spreading and the Herald of Andraste was here to personally deliver them from the demons. Whenever she saw Ally, she saw the heaviness in the woman’s gait. Hazel wanted to help, help Ally who had been nothing but kind to her, but she couldn’t force herself to move from the bench near the window she claimed as her own.

Arthur and the Templar patrol were meant to be back by now. She knew that they likely had run into demons and if anyone was equipped to fight them it was a group of Templars. Still, the fact that they hadn’t made it back in the week since the explosion at the Conclave worried. _C’mon Artie, don’t do this to me. Don’t make me tell mom._

Hazel perked up when she heard footsteps echo down the hallway. She turned her head slightly from the window to see Cullen walking towards her. He hesitated slightly before, unaware that she had already spotted him.

Cullen cleared he throat.

“Can I help you?” She mumbles.

“Uh, I,” Cullen coughed, “Leliana’s scouts received reports of a Templar group about a day’s ride away from Haven.”

Hazel sat up straighter.

“Her scouts say that one of the Templar’s match your brother’s description, they were able to get close enough to see his scar,” Cullen rubbed the back of his neck.

“You’re sure?” Hazel said slowly.

“The report came in an hour ago,” Cullen replied, “Leliana wouldn’t appreciate me sharing this information, but I thought you deserved to know.”

“Thank you,” Hazel smiled.

* * *

> **Codex Entry: Crumpled Note**
> 
> _Dear Mother and Father,_
> 
> _~~I regret to inform~~ _
> 
> _~~I’m sorry I didn’t write to you sooner~~ _
> 
> _~~After the Conclave~~ _
> 
> _~~I fear Arthur has~~ _
> 
> **_-The ink is smeared making the rest illegible-_ **

* * *

Hazel rested her head on her arms staring out of the window once more. The sun was low on the horizon. She’d been waiting anxiously for the group to ride through the doors but as the day progressed her heart sunk lower and lower into her stomach. Leliana’s scouts were rarely wrong, so that meant something must have happened.

When she heard footsteps, she just rolled her head on her arms let out a long sigh.

“I do not know what to say, other than to apologize,” Cullen said slowly.

Hazel furrowed her brows, “why?”

“I gave you the report and it proved inaccurate. It was unfair of me to raise your hopes like that.”

She shook her head, “no, it isn’t your fault.”

Cullen opened his mouth and then closed it but rubbed the back of his neck instead. Hazel turned her gaze away from him and back towards the gates of Haven.

“Do you mind,” Cullen coughed, “do you mind if I sit here for a while?”

Hazel shrugged, “if you want to.”

Outside the low light was making the shadows of the villagers long and she couldn’t make out individual people. Along the wall the, she could make out the guards and one person that seemed to resemble Ally with double daggers peaking out over her shoulders. Next to Hazel, she could hear paper rustling. She sighed and continued to guess at who was walking around the Chantry courtyard.

An hour passed before Hazel noticed in a change in the nighttime atmosphere of Haven. She lifted her head when she heard a guard shouting, but she couldn’t make out the words. A quick glance at Cullen told her he heard the same as he was halfway to his feet already. She nimbly leaped to her feet fearing they were under attack.

Cullen nodded at her before he set off on a brisk pace down the hallway. Hazel went the other direction to grab her bow before running down to the gate. By the time she arrived, Ally was already stationed on a ledge just below the wall, so she could see who was approaching but they likely couldn’t see her. Cullen was more casual, resting with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Templars approaching!”

Hazel stilled. _Templars?_

Cullen quirked an eyebrow but otherwise remained stationary. Ally jumped down from the wall.

“Are you expecting a patrol, Commander?”

“Yes,” Cullen shifted, “but at the moment I don’t know if this is the one we were expecting.”

Ally crossed her arms, “we’ll find out soon, they’re half a mile from the gate.”

The next several minutes were tense. Hazel paced along the back of the group. She wasn’t sure how to react when the guards opened the gate and she could faintly make out a group of riders. Seconds later she could see the Templar sword crest on the front rider.

“Rylen!” Cullen greeted, and the tension evaporated.

The front rider, Rylen evidently, reined in his horse before dismounting.

“Commander,” Rylen pressed a fist to his chest, “I apologize for falling out of contact, but when the sky opened, we weren’t prepared for demons.”

Hazel slowly made her way to the front of the crowd. She glanced at the heads of the still mounted Templars, most had their helmets off but, longer she looked the more unfamiliar faces she saw.

“Hazel?”

She whipped her head to the side and couldn’t help the grin that broke across her face. Arthur’s hair was mussed from wearing a helmet and she could see a recent cut along the side of his head. It would scar, but he was alive. They stared at each other for a second longer before Arthur rushed her and crushed her against him.

His armor was uncomfortable against her body as she was only wearing a cotton tunic She didn’t care as she hugged him tighter. Her brother was alive. It was a good emotional whiplash.

Against her shoulder, she could feel Arthur laughing and she ignored the wetness growing there.

* * *

> **Codex Entry: A Neatly Folded Letter**
> 
> _Dear Mother and Father,_
> 
> _I would have written sooner, but the Templars have kept me busy since the rebellion began. Then demons literally fell from the sky… so that was something that had to be dealt with._
> 
> _Good news, I’m alive and Hazel hasn’t killed me for worrying her. I’ll count that as a victory._
> 
> _Bad news, it looks like we’ll be stuck in Ferelden for the time being helping with this Inquisition. Really, the only bad part about that statement is we’ll be stuck in Ferelden. It really does smell like dogs here, and it’s cold._
> 
> _Hopefully,_ _when this is all over, I’ll be able to visit. Just make sure Kenneth is properly prepared for my arrival._
> 
> _Wishing you the best,_
> 
> _Arthur_

* * *

Arthur stretched and groaned as his spine cracked. The beds in the Chantry weren’t comfortable, but they were better than camping in the woods. He rolled over onto his side and squinted his eyes against the early morning light. Hazel was in the bed next to him, blanket pulled over her head, he laughed and swung his legs over the side.

The relief he felt at seeing his sister alive was immeasurable. He’d been watching the temple when it exploded, in his heart, he knew that no one could have survived that, but the faithful part of his mind prayed that out of everyone Hazel would be able to survive. Apparently, Andraste had been listening because Hazel had walked out of the rift with the _Herald of Andraste._

Slowly he stood his knees protesting the movement. Hazel shifted slightly, and the blanket was pulled taut over her head. Arthur carefully eased the blanket out from underneath her head and instead settled it high on her neck. Mother’s warning coming to mind, _Hazel, if you keep pulling that blanket over your head you’ll suffocate during your sleep._ Of course, Hazel didn’t listen, but Arthur had taken it to heart, and since they shared a room had taken to untucking the blanket in the morning.

Hazel grumbled and gripped the blanket but then settled down.

Arthur smiled and quietly moved around the room, pulling on a loaned cotton tunic and a pair oft thread-bare linen pants. He eyed his armor for a moment before shaking his head, there was no need to put it on yet this morning. It would be too much of a hassle to find someone to help him in the first place. The majority of Haven hadn’t woken up, except for the blacksmith and the guards.

_The Chantry should be empty._ He preferred doing his prayers in private and not amongst the services.

Arthur stepped into the main hall, the pews were empty and he walked more confidently until he reached the altar and saw someone kneeling. On closer inspection, he saw that it was the Commander. He hesitated before he shrugged and knelt next to the man.

_Maker, my enemies are abundant,_ he began, _but my faith sustains me; I shall not fear the legion,_ _should they set themselves against me._

Cullen shifted next to him preparing to stand. Arthur flicked his eyes back to the ground. _In the long hours of the night, when hope has abandoned me, I will see the stars and know, your Light remains._

He stops and instead looks up into the face of Andraste. Had they failed the Maker so horribly? Arthur shifted on his knees to be more comfortable. Cullen was still standing next to him.

“You’re Lady Trevelyan’s brother, are you not?”

Arthur nodded, “I wouldn’t call her that to her face, that’s our mother’s title.”

“I will bear that in mind,” Cullen nodded, “it is a relief to see that the patrol returned alive.”

“It was a near thing,” Arthur replied.

“I believe we’ll have to take our victories where we can,” Cullen adjusted his sword, “perhaps if you have time later you could help me instruct the recruits.”

“I don’t have much patience for teaching, but I can help with demonstrations.”

Cullen dipped his head and turned to leave.

_At least there are Templars in the Inquisition._

Now that Cullen left, as minimal of a distraction that he was, Arthur was able to focus more on his morning prayer.

* * *

Hazel wandered down to where the troops were training. Arthur had been spending his afternoons helping with them, and this was too good of a chance to get blackmail material. Her brother teaching? Surely something hilarious will come of it, she doubted he had the patience for someone who was not getting it after the fourth or fifth time.

It didn’t hurt that Commander Cullen was usually supervising the troops. She knew she should probably focus on trying to help the inquisition, become a scout of Leliana’s or maybe help Josephine with nobles. Except Hazel wasn’t overly eager to be away from her brother after fearing him dead. Cullen was a magnetic presence, and for the moment while the world was falling apart she would allow herself to indulge in such fantasies.

“Hold that shield up!”

Hazel snickered to herself as the soldier attempted to correct himself and instead his partner’s blade skittered up the shield and into the side of his head. It reminded her a lot Kenneth’s and Arthur’s spars growing up.

Speaking of Arthur, it looked like he was in the middle of an intense bought against a warrior wielding a two-handed sword. Despite the strength in the blows landing on his shield, Arthur brushed them and kept pressing forward.

“He’s quite good,” Cullen remarked as she drew nearer to him.

“It’ll go to his head if you tell him that,” Hazel laughed, “but his instructors have always said his defense was ingenious.”

They watched the fight for several more seconds. Arthur finally caught the blade on the ridge of his shield and shoved it away opening the warrior’s guard which Arthur took advantage of by sliding his leg forward to keep the solider off balance and then swung the hilt of his sword into the soldier’s side.

“Good movement,” Cullen mumbled.

Hazel nodded and glance around at the rest of the soldiers, “they’ve improved.”

Cullen glanced at the solider that he corrected the shield position on, “yes, I hope it is enough for when we seal the Breach.”

“Was it hard for you to leave the order?” Hazel asked suddenly.

“It was not as difficult as I would have thought,” Cullen shrugs, “after Kirkwall, perhaps I was looking for a way to change things.”

“And the Inquisition is that change?”

“Yes. The Chantry lost control of both the Templars and the Mages and now they argue over a new Divine while the Breach remains.”

Hazel raised an eyebrow.

Cullen continued, “the Inquisition can act when the Chantry cannot. Our followers would be a part of that. There’s so much we can-”

He suddenly cut himself off, “I’m sorry, I doubt you came here for a lecture.”

She blinked, surprised to have seen Cullen so impassioned. It was different from his usual no-nonsense manner and it was nice. _Very_ nice.

“No,” she said drawing the word out, “but if you have one prepared I’d love to hear it.”

Cullen chuckled, “another time perhaps.”

She grinned at him.

“I, uh-”

“And she graces us with her presence,” Arthur leaned against her back slowly pushing her down.

“Knock it off, you oaf.”

Cullen’s lips twitched, but his face became neutral once more, “I’ll leave you two to it.”

“You’re just going to let him crush me?” Hazel called after him.

“I know better than to get between the middle of a sibling dispute.”

Arthur finally removes himself from her back, only to place his elbow on her shoulder and prop his head up, “he’s speaking from experience you know, he’s got, siblings. If Cullen already has someone in mind, then you still have hope for settling with his brother.”

Hazel kicked Arthur in the exposed part of his knee causing his balance to falter, he flailed wildly for a few seconds, “why do I care if he’s taken or not?”

“Come, sister,” Arthur chuckled, “you’re positively enthralled.”

“You’ll have yours one day, brother dear.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ayo. Lemme know what you though in the comments below!


End file.
